Chris Christie Wants More Gun Control

Still think he should be the Republican nominee in 2016? He sounds like Obama-lite to me.
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Gov. Chris Christie unveiled gun control and violence prevention measures that are as comprehensive as they are ambitious.
Governor ChristieGovernor Chris Christie announces a plan to strengthen existing gun laws and background checks, bolster criminal penalties and treat the root causes of mass violence. (Governorâs Office/Tim Larsen)
Christie acknowledges there is no way to prevent all violence in our society, but he says it is the job of government to question, to scrutinize and to demand more in an attempt to address the problem.

The plan calls for expanding New Jerseyâs already strict gun control laws, expanding government-funded mental health treatment, making it more difficult for kids buy or rent violent video games, requiring that would-be gun owners show government-issued IDs and bolstering penalties for gun-related crimes.

âItâs hard for me to sit here today and say, âIf all these things got imposed weâd see an âXâ percentage drop in gin violence in this state.â I donât know,â said Christie. âBad people are going to do bad things and so, would greater penalties deter people? You hope they do.â

Expanding New Jerseyâs Already Stringent Gun Control Measures:

New Jersey has the second toughest gun laws in the country. The first facet of Christieâs plan seeks to make them even stricter. This includes banning future purchases of the Barrett .50 Caliber; strengthening the stateâs existing background check requirement by mandating that mental health records are included in the instant background check process at the time of a firearm purchase; and requiring firearms purchasers to present a valid government photo ID, along with the already mandatory Firearms Purchaser Identification Card.

Mental Health And Violence:

At the announcement of Christieâs NJ SAFE Taskforce in January in the aftermath of Newtown, he talked about targeting and treating the root causes of violence. Too many times there are instances of unspeakable tragedy and the question is asked how such tragedy could have been prevented. His proposals is this area include;

â¢Making it easier for health professionals and courts to require potentially dangerous people to receive the treatment they need whether it is in the form of inpatient or outpatient care. This will allow the monitoring of their progress and ensure they are receiving the kind of specific care they need.

â¢Creating flexibility in the type of care an individual is receiving, making it easier for someone to move from inpatient to outpatient settings.

â¢Changing the current standard of involuntary outpatient treatment to eliminate the uncertainty expressed by clinicians and courts regarding their authority to order this type of essential assistance.

Limiting Kidsâ Access To Violent Video Games:

According to the Governor, too often lost in the debate about controlling gun violence in our society is the almost constant exposure young children and adults have to graphic violence. Part-three of his plan includes;

â¢Requiring that retailers post at the point of sale the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ERSB) ratings. Additionally, requiring retailers to develop, maintain and conspicuously display their policy on selling video games with an M or AO rating.

â¢Requiring Consent of a Legal Guardian. This is not different than the kind of parental supervision expected when a child under the age of 18 goes to see an R rated movie, Christie is requiring that a legal guardian provide consent when a minor purchases or rents a video game that has a rating of âMatureâ or âAdult Only.â

Increasing Penalties For Gun-Related Crimes:

In a series of bills Christie seeks to impose or strengthen criminal penalties when it comes to selling firearms to convicted criminals, possessing a firearm with the intent to unlawfully transfer, hiring a âstraw purchaser,â unlawfully possessing ammunition and engaging in firearms trafficking, among other areas. In addition, Governor Christie is seeking to reform bail laws for gun-related crimes by restricting the release on bail for aggravated firearms offenses and increasing bail requirements for aggravated firearms crimes.

Christie is dead to me, at least in terms of being the nominee, but this proposal does not sound terrible to me, with the exception of banning the .50 cal. (Someone might want to tell them Barrett is not the only company making a .50. )

I'm actually surprised the .50's have not been more in the target of gun banners. Other than target use, they have two functions, long range sniping and damaging equipment, like jets on the runway. A Barrett semi auto .50 with a lot of ammunition would be a good thing to have in an insurrection situation. I'm unaware of one ever being used in any kind of mass shooting or terrorist incident, so the proposal is mainly just about throwing some red meat to the gun banners.

The problem with banning .50's is that it's clearly just the first step. Establish the precedent that some guns are just too powerful. Next thng you know, they are banning 5.56.

Christie wants the White House. He's doing shit that separates him from the pack of rabid far-right gang like we had in '12.

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That worked well for Romney, didn't it? He destroyed the right wing in the primaries (his super packs did). He then lost to a prez who has the distinction of being among the very few who got re-elected with less votes than his first term.

Ironic, there are some who think Christie cost Romney the election. I'm not one, however. I think Romney cost Romney the election.

I don't like Christie because I don't really know where he stands. He's fun to watch, though, when he goes on a rant.

Christie wants the White House. He's doing shit that separates him from the pack of rabid far-right gang like we had in '12.

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+1, conservatives really need to reaevaluate what is most important. Social conservatism is dead, We could keep nominating assholes like Rick Santorum, and we are guaranteed to lose, or we could accept guys like Christie who make small compromises in order to achieve a much bigger fiscal goal.

In my opinion i couldnt care less if christie bends on certain issues a little bit provided he fixes the goddamn fiscal mess. He is the only one who can do it, conservatives need to ask themselves if they would rather have a big spending conservative like rick santorum who is die hard on the social issues, or a guy like christie who will clean up the fiscal mess.

Bottom line is an ideologically pure conservative who tows the line on every issue cant win an election, itds the same for ldeologically pure liberals, people need to start prioritizing.

Which one matters more to you, gay marriage or america going bankrupt?